A Giant Headache
by Theoretical-Optimist
Summary: Bones and Booth travel to Eastern Europe to research a potential new humanoid species on the advice of the late Vincent Nigel-Murray. Written for Round 4 of THC (year three)


House: Gryffindor

Prompts: 1) Bones, 2) Rubeus Hagrid, 3) A headache

Word Count: 1708

* * *

"Hey Bones," Seeley Booth asked, "Who is it that we're supposed to be meeting up with?"

Temperance Brennan let out an exasperated breath. "I've told you four times already. I promised that I'd meet with an old colleague of Mr. Nigel-Murray. He talked about coming with me to England but then-"

"Broadsky," Booth finished with a growl.

Vincent Nigel-Murray had been murdered seven years before by Jacob Broadsky, a trained sniper would wanted revenge on Booth and the Jeffersonian for the death of his girlfriend. Vincent had died in Bones's arms on the platform.

"Before he died, he had been trying to talk me into a trip to England to meet with the old groundskeeper from his boarding school."

"What could a groundskeeper from some school possibly have to tell you?" Booth asked. "A professor? Maybe. But a groundskeeper?" He rubbed at his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Mr. Nigel-Murray insisted that this particular man would have unique insight. He thought it was very important that I meet him. It's the least I can do to honor his memory."

Booth shrugged. "When is he supposed to get here?" he asked as he rifled through his bag to find some painkillers. "And why, if he's from England, are we meeting him in Russia?"

"I think he just arrived," Bones said. "Are you Rubeus Hagrid?"

"That I am," boomed a deep voice. "Ye must be Bones and Booth. Old Vinny told me all about ye."

Booth located the Advil and popped a couple before looking up at the man. Booth swallowed the pills with a dry throat as he realized just how massive this man was.

"Thank you for meeting with us, Mr. Hagrid."

"Jus' call me Hagrid."

He clapped a hand down on Booth's upper back, nearly causing him to spit up the tablets.

"Mr. Nigel-Murray spoke highly of you," Bones said.

"What exactly did he tell ye?" Hagrid asked, cautiously.

"He told me that you had access to a unique community of modern day humanoid creatures. I assured Mr. Nigel-Murray that Homo sapiens is the only existing human species and that there was no science to suggest that there had been a major evolutionary event. But he insisted that you had some proof. Looking at you, I suspect that Mr. Nigel-Murray may have been onto something."

Hagrid cocked his head to the side and looked perplexed.

"What Bones means is that Vincent told her about some really big guys who live in the mountains of Eastern Europe. And from the looks of you, I'd say you were the right person to ask."

Hagrid let out a booming laugh, causing Booth to wince as his head pulsed.

"Sorry to tell you, but the colony moved on a few years ago. They wouldn't have taken kindly to you poking about anyway. They barely tolerated me being around."

"So we flew all the way out here for nothing?" Booth asked.

"Not really," Hagrid said. "Vinny mentioned that yer most interested in the bones anyway."

"Are there fossilized impressions or bone fragments?" Bones asked, excitedly.

"I dunno about that. But there's Karkus."

"A carcass? Was someone murdered?" Booth fell into investigative mode. "Have the local authorities been alerted?"

"Booth," Bones hissed.

Hagrid laughed. "Karkus is long dead. He's nothing but bones now. Vinny came out here with me for extra credit in Care of Mag-" Hagrid cut himself off.

"Care of what?" Bones asked.

Hagrid gestured for them to follow. As he walked ahead, he muttered to himself, "I should not have said that. I should _not_ have said that."

Bones hurried behind him.

Booth brought up the rear, rubbing his temples as his headache started to pound.

* * *

"Here we are!" Hagrid announced.

Booth liked to think he was in excellent shape, but he was in serious pain after the three-hour bumpy truck ride through the mountains. Hagrid was a terrible driver and Booth had strongly considered demanding to see his license. It's like he thought the truck could just fly over the uneven terrain.

Bones did not seem as affected. She hopped out of the vehicle and hurried after Hagrid.

Booth rummaged through his bag and pulled out another couple painkillers and an antacid. His stomach was now as enraged as his head.

"Karkus is just over this way," Hagrid called.

Booth descended into dried out lake.

"His body is up over that way," Hagrid said as he pointed across the valley. "But this is where his head got chucked."

"Is it under that big rock?" Booth asked.

"Booth!" Bones called.

Booth noticed that Bones was staring at the giant rock. It was approximately seven feet wide and a strange, yet familiar off-white color. Booth circled around to the front side of the rock and stopped short.

Two vacant eye sockets stared out at him from the rock.

A skull.

"Very funny Mr. Hagrid," Bones said, not sounding at all amused. "Where is the real skull?"

"This is Karkus," Hagrid said. "He was the chief."

"If this truly were a skull, the creature would have had to be twenty feet tall," Bones argued.

"Twenty three actually." Hagrid shrugged. "Giants tend to have smaller heads."

"Mr. Hagrid," Bones said through gritted teeth, "Giants are fiction. They are fairytale creatures."

Booth jumped when he heard a loud pop behind him.

"Ah, Hermione," Hagrid called. "Yer just in time."

Bones and Booth pivoted to find a woman clad in long, purple robes walking towards them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Brennan. Agent Booth." She stuck out her hand for both of them to shake. "I'm Hermione Granger-Weasley, Minister of Magic."

"Minister of what?" Booth asked, his headache swelling to a crescendo. His pupils dilated and he clutched at his forehead.

"Magic," she replied. "I've wanted to meet the two of you for some time. I was saddened to hear about Vincent. As soon as he let us know that he was accepting the position with The Jeffersonian, I encouraged him to put us in contact. We need skilled investigative teams in the Muggle and No-Maj worlds who can work with us on occasion."

"Slow down," Booth said. "What?"

"Ah," Hermione said as she reached into her bag. Booth's eyes bulged when her entire arm disappeared into the miniscule bag. She withdrew a small glass tube and handed it to him. "Pepperup potion should take care of that headache."

Booth took the tube and popped the top.

"Booth!" Bones called. "It could be poisonous!"

Instantly, Booth felt the pressure in his skull evaporate. "Ahh, that's good." He smiled at Hermione. "Thanks."

"I make it my business not to poison my allies," Hermione said.

Bones scowled. "I don't know who you are but-"

"I told you who I am. I'm the Minister of Magic."

"There's no such thing as magic, though!" Bones declared. "Not real magic beyond party tricks and sleight of hand. You people are all crazy!"

"Wait a minute, Bones," Booth said.

"No. There is science behind everything. That's how the world works."

"Enough of this," Hermione declared. " _Wingardium Leviosa,_ " she said as she gave her wand a swish and a flick. Bones was immediately lifted into the air.

Booth watched as she screamed and struggled. He didn't rush to intervene because he knew that she wasn't really in any danger.

When Bones finally calmed, Hermione lowered her wand and brought her back to the ground.

Quietly, Bones said, "I've lived my life knowing that science was the cause and reason for everything."

"That's all I knew until I was eleven," Hermione said. "It was as much a shock to me as it is to you."

"What do you want from me? Why did you bring us here?" Bones asked.

"Well, in my last communication with Vincent he mentioned that you two would be ideal allies. You're inquisitive and determined, and frankly you'd have uncovered the magical world eventually without any intervention."

"Thanks, I think," Booth said.

"We need someone inside the FBI to alert us if you encounter anything that absolutely defies the laws of science and logic. That's where the magic lies."

"We can do that," Booth said. "But I'm a little confused. Where do you come into all of this Hagrid?"

"I'm jus' doin' a favor for my old friend, Hermione," Hagrid said. "Vinny said that Bones wouldn't be able to resist the chance to study a new type of creature. It was the perfect excuse to get ye out here where Hermione could talk to ye in private."

Bones glanced back over at the huge skull. "So this is real?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "Karkus was the chief of a giant colony who was murdered in a coup about twenty years ago."

Bones's eyes lit up. "May I examine him? This is truly groundbreaking!"

"Go right ahead," Hermione said. "But you won't be able to publish anything about it." Bones's shoulders fell before Hermione continued, "We've got to be careful about who knows about the Wizarding World. Luckily, as Minister of Magic, I've got a little bit of flexibility in regards to who I let in on the secret."

"I understand," Bones said. She traced her hand over the skull. "Look at the proportion of the brow ridge to the arch of the cheek bones. The ratio indicates that the giants likely evolved from earlier.."

Booth tuned out his enthusiastic wife as she examined Karkus. Turning to Hermione, he said, "She's going to want to stay here for days."

"That can be arranged," Hermione said as she withdrew a lump of cloth from her bag. With a wave of her wand, the cloth unfurled and erected itself into a tent.

"That's handy," Booth commented.

"Magic does have its advantages."

"Was that headache medicine magic?"

"Just a basic potion," Hermione said. "I can whip you up a batch and put it into pill form so it looks a little less conspicuous."

Booth thanked her and she left with a pop.

"I'm a bit hungry. I've got some Rock Cakes in my pocket. Want one?" Hagrid offered.

Booth accepted the bizarre looking pastry and settled down into the dry lake bed. Taking a bite, he immediately chipped a tooth and groaned. His headache was gone, but now his jaw killed.


End file.
